Student to Spouse of Student
To qualify to change from J-1 to J-2
-You must be the J-1 principal, your spouse whose status yours will be attendant to, must be in good status.
-Be in good legal standing with USCIS (must have maintained full-time status while in school) be a bona fide nonimmigrant and…
-The J-1 principal, your spouse whose status yours will be attendant to, must be in good status.
To apply, submit the following documents to International Services for review:
- Completed Form I-539 (Application for Change of Nonimmigrant Status)
- Form I-539 may be downloaded here and filled in by using your keyboard before printing or obtained from International Services.
- Copies of your passport pages including your visa, passport number and expiration date, and your picture.
- Departure Record—Form I-94—This small white card is usually stapled to your passport next to your visa.
- A photocopy of your spouse's current Form DS-2019
- New Form DS-2019 issued through International Services—Sign in the space at the bottom of page one.
- Proof of financial support for both you and your spouse
- A notarized copy of your marriage license or certificate—if this is not in English, it must be translated into the English language.
- Money Order or personal check for $370.00 made payable to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services—Cash is not accepted.
- (Optional) Personal statement explaining why the Change of Status (COS) is necessary
- After our document review and copies are made for your records, mail the documents listed above to: U.S. Department of Homeland Security U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services California Service Center P.O. Box 10539 Laguna Niguel, CA 92607-1053
General information for preparing application materials
It will take from 60-120 days to hear back from the CSC.
If approved, the CSC will return a new Form I-94 indicating your new status to the address indicated on your Form I-539 application. Make sure that if you move, you have your mail forwarded.
It is advised that you do not travel outside of the U.S. with a change of status application pending.
Note: International Services only changes your immigration status on school records after you provide us with the documented proof of the change.